Jaune and Neo go on a date!
by Ickbard
Summary: One's a lovable idiot! The other is an incredibly shy mute! Watch as their relationship blooms and develops as they take their first steps to adulthood with their friends, families, and adversaries.
1. A chance meeting

"There's no way I have a chance with Neo!" Jaune bemoaned. "She hasn't said a word to me this entire year."

"Well, it could be the fact she's mute." Ren chimed in.

He alongside Nora and Pyrrha were sitting at the table with Jaune, enjoying their time together after class. It was closing near the end of the senior year and nothing much of note has happened to Jaune. Pyrrha was an all rounded star in any sport, Ren was king of Home Ec, and Nora can deadlift any weight with anything or anyone hanging on it.

"Oh! Well I… You got me here." Jaune was speechless as the rest of his friends snickered.

"It's not too late, loverboy! Nora concluded. "After all, who knows the next time you're gonna see heeeeeer!" Nora exclaimed partially sing-songy as she looking behind Jaune.

As Jaune turned around, he had seen a very short girl with two different eye colors standing there, looking slightly curious as to what was happening.

"Oh Neo!" Jaune had a shocked look as he slightly blushed looking at this diminutive individual. "I.. Uuuh." He stammered

As he tried to complete a sentence she quickly grabbed her notepad and scribbled on it, promptly showing him what she had to say.

I thought I heard you call my name. Is there anything you need?

'OH THANK GOD SHE DIDN'T HEAR MY GRIPING' Jaune had concluded to himself. He straightened himself out and looked her in the eyes. It was weird looking at them. He swore they changed colors ever so often.

"I uh.. I was hoping to ask you out sometime!"

Jaune's blood ran cold as if he felt his heart stop.

'WHAT WAS THAT!' he shouted in his inner thoughts

'I DON'T KNOW THE DATING SIMS MAKE IT LOOK SO EASY!'

'Well we need to get ourself together!'

Without knowing Neo was holding up her pad for him to look at

Sure. What did you have in mind?

Suddenly his spirit lifts up and swells with excitement and awe! His friends silently watching this unfold. Not daring to move or even breath or else fear they ruin this moment.

"Well I never thought I'd get this far to be honest!" Jaune blushed slightly and casually rubbing the back of his head trying to play off his lack of planning.

Neo smirked and chuckled silently as she started writing on a new page and tore it off.

This is my number. I'm free whenever this weekend so I hope that gives an idea.

Neo put the slip in his hand and waved goodbye as she turned around and walked away to leave. With her gone a certain distance Nora jumps up and starts shaking Jaune around as if an infant had gotten a new play doll.

"Jauney has a date! He actually did something for once!"

"Nora, please! Jaune's done plenty!" Pyrrha states. "Remember when he… At the… Remember when he tried to ask Weiss out?" Pyrrha says weakly.

Nora stops shaking and swinging her friend briefly enough for Jaune to escape the powerhouse's grasp only for Nora to hold her sides as she broke down laughing! Jaune remembered in Sophomore year during Valentine's week before the big dance he went to Weiss's homeroom class with a sombrero and Spanish guitar in hopes to impress her. All that resulted with her being so humiliated that Weiss had given Jaune via a legal team a restraining order and a few months later transferring schools to some private academy.

"Now now. Jaune's been there for all of us! He's… Well he's sorta like a mom to us in a way." Ren had concluded. "He goes to all our events and is always there to support or help us. Remember when we had the hills catch fire just outside of town, he made sure we were alright."

The other two sort of nod, seemingly satisfied with Jaune being taken aback. "Why am I the mom!?"

Neo had started walking away, with her heart pounding. 'What the actual fuck happened?! A guy asked me out!' Neo thought to herself.

She had quickly found anything she could hide behind to avoid people from paying attention to her and she saw a tree to which she swiftly moved behind to calm her racing heart. Neo was rarely talked to at school, let alone at all. Real life encounters were an oddity beyond raising her hand for roll count. So to see a person want to talk to her, let alone want to go out with her, she was more than elated to go out with someone. Anyone!

'Maybe he's just taking pity on me.' she thought solemnly. "Well if Jaune is, he's a good actor blushing and stuttering his way through it. To be honest if I didn't write my reply, I think he would have been to shy to ask me out.'

A Vibration in her pocket makes her stand up straight in attention as she forgot all about the real world surround her. Hey Neo. It's Jaune. How about we grab a movie and dinner at 6:30?

'OHMYGODOHMYGOD HE'S INTO ME!' Neo had thought to herself as she jumped giddily and then stopped realizing she could make a scene.

'Do i message him now? Do I play it cool? What if he thinks I lost interest? Should I try being coy?' Thoughts swam around her head and after a few minutes Neo replied with a 'I can't wait!' as she held her phone against her chest.

'What am I going to where?'

Neo giddily rode the bus home as she was texting up a storm in a group chat she was in. In real life she was a mild mannered individual who kept to herself, but with the internet, you didn't need a voice to speak. She and her three friends would often shitpost on forums or in video games and reveled in the reactions they got.

Ice cream girl: This bitch just got a date!

Firebitch: ooooh. Pics or it didn't.

Em: our midget's getting the D

Mercury with a mouth: ooooooh good one! I bet our little princess was juuuuust at dick sucking height.

Ice Cream Girl: I don't have pics, but man you're gonna see some great ones on Saturday. It's gonna be lit AF.

Neo sighed to herself and laid back in her chair as the bus went to her stop. She hopped off her seat and walked up her block ready to get her PC set up for whatever game she and her friends were going to play.

 **Thanks everyone for reading! I do hope you like it, and I can't wait to deliver the next chapter!**


	2. The Day of

**I'm proud to see the smiles I put on people's faces and to see the positivity that was spread to y'all! That being said let's hope y'all enjoy!**

" On your left, Arc!" A man in a skin tight jumpsuit with hues of blue on it shouted.

"I only have a single charge on my healing and you're too low for it to matter. Oh shit!"

He reflexively cast his magical gem shield to hover around him and Jaune as metal spheres the size of softballs hurled down, going at speeds great enough to light the air surrounding the projectiles on fire. Jaune and his ally dived in opposite directions to avoid his red haired foe. As Jaune jumped into the bush, his ally who had briefly saved him from an imminent doom stood in the open and bare lane looking at this pistol wielding casanova. A grin came to her face and started unloading flurries of shot at the warrior. A murderous laugh came before her as his gem infused shield cracked and swiftly dissipated. Looking at Jaune he nodded. Jaune knew he what was to unfold. Quickly the man raised his three-faced maul and regained life, additionally an aura radiated from Jaune to which he had his wounds seal up reinvigorating them in the process as suddenly Jaune and the man began to glow.

'He's ulting!' Jaune realized as he ready his sniper rifle. His eccentric top hat had flopped and waggled with him as his head turned sharply. 'Man this character's outfit is weird'

"I'm lining up, taric!" Jaune had shouted and immediately red crosshairs had gone overhead of the Miss Fortune he grin suddenly turning to distress not realizing his ally, Taric ran up to her with the ground in front of him burning with this brilliant light! It glows and then with a flash! And she is stunned and Jaune firing with deadly aim as her body is flung back under tower, lifeless and still.

Jaune leaned back and with excitement coursing through him pumped his fist with a triumphant "yes!"

With her death the bot lane was open and caused them to snowball, ultimately winning the match. League of legends isn't normally Jaune's game since it's always better to play in teams rather than solo queue. But for today he felt like anything was feasible. He asked a girl out on a date with actual success! His job was going well at the comic shop with decent hours so money wasn't much of an issue.

A knock on his door alerted him as he looked over to see his father in the doorway. It was a large man with ice blue eyes full of intensity surrounded by a warm fatherly smile.

"How was your day, Jaune?" His father asked gently as he slowly moved forward to sit on his son's bed.

"It was great, dad. I have a date!" Jaune's eye beamed. His dad had perked up. A smile creeped up his lips and he looked overjoyed.

"This is great news! Who is this lucky lady?"

"Her name is Neo and she goes to Beacon High with me." Jaune felt confident and thought about what to say next about her only to realize he didn't have much else that he knew about her. "And she's a lovely woman who's an amazing listener!"

"Well, I'm hopeful that it goes well." Mr. Arc leaned forward in a comfortable position for himself and looked his son in the eyes. They held a note of seriousness that grabbed Jaune's full attention.

"School is ending soon. And you're going to become an adult. I want you to think about what you're going to do with yourself. What are you skilled at? What can you apply yourself to? There's college yes, but You can get an AA and start working field jobs. There are even vocational jobs that you can take as well. Have you thought about any of that?" Mr. Arc's face was filled with worry and concern as he looked over his son.

Jaune looked down with a sudden interest in the scuff marks that were on his floor. Naturally Jaune had some idea. But never anything that was fleshed out.

"Well… I was thinking that Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, and I were going to move in together and split the weight." Jaune knew he wanted that much. He didn't know what they would do afterwards.

"That is an admirable start. A good friend will travel far with you. But what if something happens? Maybe Ren and Nora decide to move away? What if Pyrrha goes to a college across the coast? What's the back up plan?"

"I…" Jaune was uncertain. He looked at his father for guidance only to see his brow knit in contemplation.

"Think of a plan and talk it out. Then look at the flaws and plan. You plan until you consider what will be the best idea not only for you, but the people around you."

Jaune nodded looking away from his dad in a sense of shame that he hadn't thought of what he would do. Suddenly a hand was on his shoulder as his father had stood up and was looking at his son with a smile.

"Your mother and I have faith in you. And as much as your sisters tease you deep down they hope for nothing but the best. Dinner's going to be soon so make sure you wash up!" Mr. Arc had walked out and down the hallway as Jaune sat there. He was scared. Scared and somehow at the same time he was hopeful.

Neo sat silently at the dinner table cutting through her steak. The house was lovely with it's gentle color patterns and pieces of art scattered across the walls featuring the businessmen of the 1930's and pictures of famous gangsters. At the humble table big enough for a family and more, yet able to make everyone feel close to each other with its oblong shape and style. Neo sat across from a tall and slender man with orange hair who was digging into his food.

"So Neo! How was school today?" Roman's voice was warm and cheery. He knew that she didn't do much as school. He still didn't want her to feel like whatever happens in class, no matter how small was insignificant so he would often ask even about the little things that happened, giving encouragement even to the small things that happened that day.

Neo began texting at great speeds and with a sudden _ding!_ Roman looked at his phone

 _It was good! Class was slow so I was able to read. I also was asked out on a date_. Neo was incredibly nervous as she saw his eyes bulge slightly knowing that he had finished the message.

Immediately Roman choked on his food as he was surprised. 'Neo being asked out? So sudden? She didn't tell me anyone was interested in her?'

 _Ding!_

 _Are you alright!?_

Neo looked concerned as her father had regained composure. He hoarsely stated "I didn't expect to see that is all!" He drank from his glass and cleared his pallet. "What's his name? What's he like? Is he from a good home?" Roman started bombarding her with questions increasingly interested in who this boy was.

 _His name is Jaune Arc. He's a goofball with a good heart aaaaaaaaaand I don't know much about his family._

Roman nodded taking it all in and assessing what she was saying. "When?"

 _Tomorrow. He's taking me to see a movie and go out for dinner._

'Smart' Roman had thought.

"An oldie but a goodie nonetheless!" Roman smiled. Secretly he was worried what would happen to his little angel. She was his world and wanted nothing but the best for her. 'If he even thinks about touching her…' He was distracted from his thoughts as Neo had walked to Roman gently tugging his sleeve.

 _You looked angry. Is everything alright?_

"Oh everything's peachy! I'm glad you're getting out there and experiencing life! I just want you to be careful!"

 _Of course dad! He's a goofball, not like other kids at my school_

They finished their dinners and spent their time watching TV together for an hour or two till she got a notification.

Firebitch: It's game night. We're getting on League to troll our fifth player rando.

Neo smiled and knew exactly what was going to happen.

Ice cream girl: Alright! I'm on my way!

Jaune woke up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. 'This is it!' Jaune thought to himself. His dreams were a story that told a night of misfortune. The first dream he was a werewolf who couldn't find a suit that fit him due to his enormous size. The second he was a child. An infant who tried to crawl his fastest to the movie theatre and nobody seemed to notice his predicament. His family kept asking why he had cold feet and that he'll never be a man. Jaune shook these off and decided to go for a run.

Burbank is a place that's commonly overlooked by people trying to reach LA to make it big or get into the Nickelodeon lot. It was a bright and sunny day as he ran. It was before the sun really started to cook the giant skillet called the pavement below him as he ran along the street to allow people walking along the houses the space they needed for strollers and other things. Eventually Jaune made his way back to have breakfast. As he walked in it was an odd note of silence. Seven sisters meant noise. Silence meant plotting. Before he could think about what they were up to he saw them all sitting the the dining table silently looking at him.

"Please. Take a seat." Said the eldest. She was a strawberry blonde with slightly darker roots and as the rest of the family, had blue eyes.

Jaune sat down and looked at them all nervously. Slightly fidgeting in his seat knowing his sisters were going to tear him down for every ounce of of information he held.

Twenty minutes went by as he sat there telling them as much as he could. "There really isn't much else I could say. I never really knew much about her. I'm kinda scared I'm going to mess it up knowing my luck." Jaune slouched. "Maybe my dreams are an omen or something."

"Nonsense!" The Eldest said "You're overthinking things, besides she's on equal footing with you. Not like she knows much about you either. Unless she's a stalker and to that we wish you luck!" They all pushed out of their chairs and walked away talking to each leaving their brother alone now satisfied with what they could get out of their brother.

Neo had woken up with a big smile on her face. 'It's the big day!' she thought to herself as she was walking around her mess of a room dancing around goofily until she reached her PC. The pink lights that emanated from the case lit up her otherwise dark room. She had several notifications. The usual. Emails from spam accounts. Friends sending her links to videos through group chats. Angry messages from people she and her crew troll in multiplayer games. She quickly deleted and removed all notifications and started up YouTube.

'How do i look more… Girly?' She pondered. She liked dresses and makeup sure. What she didn't know what how to be girly. She was rude, obtuse, and a total asshat with nothing really agreeable about them. It's what she loved to do online. She finally felt like a person who can do what she wanted. And who cares if people got angry at her? There are so many people who play these games. Why would she expect to meet them again? Real life was different. She couldn't be this verbose and abrasive individual. In fact Neo felt vulnerable to any criticism let alone someone regretting going on a date with her. Neo was resolute to become a girly person. She needed to make herself look like someone worth spending time with.

Neo had spent the entire day looking up makeup tutorials, how to do her hair, anything she can do to look like those girls on YouTube. She almost went overboard a couple times and had to restart with showers and baths.

Roman was worried. 'Why go through all this effort? It's just some kid, right? No way some kid would just come into the daughter's life though. If he's just a goofball then why go through the effort?' He paced back and forth worried that his precious angel was ruining herself over her first date. And that's when it hit Roman that she is going on her first date. She wanted to make a lasting impression. He waited a while and knocked on her door. A few minutes passed and she opened it sheepishly.

"Hey Sweetie" Roman said softly. "Mind if I come in?"

Neo nodded and let in her father. The room was full of steam and perfume. The door to her bathroom was open and fogged up her mirrors. The room was a mess. More than usual. Dresses piled up in a corner next to her Closet. Various tops were hanging out of her dresser and he could see about ten different tabs open to different YouTube videos.

"Take a seat, honey." Roman said as he sat down on her bed and patted right next to him.

Neo sat down next to her dad unsure what he was going to say.

"I know this is your first date. Naturally you want to make a good first impression." Roman held onto her and gave a gentle squeeze. "But remember whatever reason he wants to be with you Neo it's because you were yourself." Roman rubbed held onto Neo as she leaned into him. Unbeknownst to Roman, Neo was panicking.

'He doesn't know what kind of person I am!' Neo flailed internally as she held onto her dad. 'Jaune probably thinks I'm something completely different.'

"If that fails though, remember. He's the one losing out. You're a great gal. No matter what you do I'm sure you'll make tonight memorable."

Neo calmed down hearing that. 'Maybe I can ease Jaune into it?'

Roman got up. He smiled and looked down at her. "I'll go put on my mean face. I'll scare him a little when he comes over."

 _That's not funny dad!_ Neo exclaimed to the best of her abilities while pouting.

"Hey it's one of the few things a dad gets to do really! I can't waste my moment." He gives a playful smile as he strikes a melodramatic pose. He walks over to the door seeing his daughter thoroughly enjoying the theatrics at hand. "I'll leave it to you." He smiles and closed the door behind him as Neo knew what she was going to do.

It was later that day as the doorbell ringed. Jaune was wearing a black polo and a letterman style jacket with a new pair of jeans. He was sweating bullets and silently thanked god that antiperspirant was a thing. The door had opened showing a tall man in a white coat with orange hair towering over the Arc boy.

"Well hello! You must be Jaune!" Jaune had gulped. The man had an incredibly off putting aura to him as he nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir!" Jaune stood at attention with saucers for eyes. Roman knew this kid wasn't a pushover, but lord would he relish this.

"Please please where are my manners. Do come in my humble abode!" Roman bowed slightly extending his arm for Jaune to enter. Jaune did so seeing all the 30's art and mugshots of people such as Bugs Moran and Al Capone.

"I.. I like the art. It's very uh. Speakeasy?" Jaune said attempting to fit in the time frame. Roman had nodded with a satisfied smile 'Kid at least knows something'

"Why thank you! It's a personal collection that I intend to grow. My family had ties to all of this prohibition era madness that happened in Chicago. It's an invested interest that I am keen on continuing. Come please do sit with me until Neo is ready." They both moved the the barstools that were on the opposite side of the kitchen. Roman rest his hands on the slab where he would normally serve Neo her breakfast. "So tell me about yourself."

"Well, I'm from a large family with seven sisters." While Roman looked unfazed about the news, inside he was quite surprised. 'DON'T HIS PARENTS HAVE A TV OR SOMETHING'

"Wow Jaune that's very interesting! It must make your house quite exciting."  
Jaune perks up a little "There's always something going on! Makes the family trips difficult though."

Roman laughed a bit. "I can imagine that you have a caravan of cars when you take road trips." Roman felt suddenly happier that his house only occupied two people never having to deal with how coordinated they would be on any outing. "But anywho." His smile died down into a more serious and quizzical look. "You know with how to treat a lady I'm assuming with seven sisters?"

"Yes sir!" Jaune looked nervous thinking something else was coming.

"I'm glad. Then I don't have to tell you how my parents taught me how to deal with boys who didn't." Jaune audibly gulped as a pit was in his stomach. Roman's smirk grew knowing what he said was acknowledged.

"I'm just joking kid, don't take me too seriously." The smile returned the Roman's face. "Just bring her home before 11 and you will be fine." Jaune immediately calmed down as his posture relaxed.

After a few more minutes of speaking shoes were heard clicking against the stairs as both men watched the petite woman walk down the stairs. She was wearing an all black dress with a thin white leather belt around her hips. Her pigtails bounced slightly with white bands that were frilled holding her hair down. The top was laced with a loose bow accented by gentle frills around the collar and had no sleeves. Her shoes were black wedges with white laces almost as if the tops were sneakers. She stood there at the bottom of the steps holding her arms behind her back with a light blush looking down at the ground.

'Aren't you gonna compliment me anon?' This pleased herself as she giggled and looked up to Jaune who was absolutely stunned.

"Wow… You look amazing!" Jaune walked forward and hooked her arm around his and lead her to the door. "I'll make sure she come home safely sir!" Roman just leaned there and smiled. His daughter turned around as they left waving goodbye.

"God I hope they know what they're doing."


	3. Date Night

**Thank you, everyone! As I'm typing this we are around 1,800+ views and for that I am grateful! I hope you enjoy!**

Jaune was driving his beat up, hand-me-down Volvo over the hills. The sun had set and the moon was gleaming softly with its pure glow as the street lights contrasted with a hard light that was segmented along the side of the road.

"So uh…" Jaune stammered. "How was your day?" Neo had started typing on her phone but realized the futile effort. Jaune looked over at her and looked back to the road sheepishly. "My bad."

Neo giggled. He was trying to be nice and who knows, maybe this will go well. They had reached the theatre and Jaune parked to which he quickly went to get the car door. Neo had gotten out and curtsied in an almost teasing way and walked alongside him. Jaune had bought the tickets for the movie they were going to see. Spy Hard 3: Spy with a Vendetta. It had romance, action, and tension. Jaune hopes it was going to be a middle ground for what could be a chick flick and action film. Neo loved the series as she was enraptured by the rugged hero dealing with morally gray issues. The romance wasn't bad but she was in it for the action. Plus every movie there's a scene where his butt is shown in a shower sequence that she always loved seeing. Slowly they made their way through concessions.

"Alright Neo pick whatever you want!" Jaune smiled. He figured she wouldn't pick much. And why would she? Neo didn't look like much of an eater.

'Oh Jaune. You poor fool' Neo grinned a cherub-like smile and pointed to a large popcorn, two pretzels, a hot dog, and 5 packs of candy.

After ringing up the total which Jaune will never mention ever again, they slowly made their way to their seats, Neo skipping along as Jaune lugged all the food and drinks and made their way to the back as they had come earlier than most others to ensure the best seats were ripe for the picking. While they sat through the adds, Neo had eaten half a hot dog along with all the candy, one of the pretzels, and just started going through the candy as the movie started. Jaune watched nervously, slowly eating the popcorn. 'At least dinner will be cheaper.' Jaune mused to himself. Neo mid-bite eyed Jaune. As the candy poured out of the container into her mouth, she blushed and put the candy down.

'Why is he looking at me?' her face softened a bit. 'I bet he thinks I'm a pig… I mean. He wouldn't be wrong.' Neo had a proclivity for snacks. Despite her small size, she burned through her appetite with a titanic metabolism that can only be compared to that of a whale. Jaune put his hand on hers and smiled.

"I'm really glad we could go out together." Jaune smiled hoping she would cheer up. Neo's face grew red and slowly pulled her hand back. Internally she was panicked. Her face with a look of shock and after a pause Neo had grabbed her phone which was dimly lit and typed hastily before shoving it in Jaune's face.

 _I'M SORRY FOR EATING LIKE A GREMLIN, I JUST HAVEN'T EATEN ALL DAY AND-_

Jaune smiled and pushed her phone down. "It's alright. I'm just hoping that you're enjoying yourself." That seemed to do the trick as she had calmed down a little and tentatively offered some of her chocolate malt balls and he traded with her the large popcorn.

Eventually, they had finished the movie. Neo was leaning forward in anticipation intensely as she was waiting in for the famed shower butt scene. She was dismayed as the credits rolled, but Neo and Jaune persisted. Jaune figured she was seeing if there was a post-credits scene as so many movies had done these days. The initial credits ended while the main theme played again but in the background as the screen was centered on the chiseled man's hindquarters which were prominently on display as he was in a shower with a woman who were holding each other in their arms passionately kissing each other. A minute goes by of this as Neo's face turned from sadness to excitement and then into being totally overwhelmed as she was practically attached to the seat in front of her. Jaune blushed uncomfortably as this unfolded as the scene progressed the music dimmed down as a beeping took the foreground in which the lead stopped kissing this new girl and threw them both to the ground as the shower exploded, leaving the title of the next movie, Spy Hard: Kill Me Three Times. Neo and Jaune walked out of the movie with Jaune only looking a light shade of red, Neo was red as you can get with a goofy grin on her face.

The couple had meandered about from the exit and hovered around the atrium. "That was definitely an en-" Jaune was cut off from his train of thought as he felt his sleeve being tugged on. Neo was looking up at him with large, innocent eyes and a gentle pout as she held her phone open with the camera on. "Oh of course! Let's take a picture." Jaune grinned as he squatted down to reach Neo's eye level. He leaned against her and gently wrapped his arm around her waist.

'OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD HE'S TOUCHING ME' Neo panicked. Her heart a flutter, she internally panicked over the warmth the Jaune exuberated a friendly warmth to which Neo had never felt before. As she saw his silly grin, it seemed to calm her. She reciprocated as much as she could

 _Click!_

Neo pulled the phone back and looked at the picture. She felt comfortable, almost like everything was right.

'Dude she's leaning into us!'

'Oh CHRIST she's too damn cute!'

'Keep it to together man, you still have dinner to get through!'

Jaune had loosened up to which Neo had obliged as she seemed to lean into him more with her head resting against his chest while she looked through filters before popping it into her group chat which immediately lit up with responses. Satisfied with a playful grin Neo had put away her phone and looked up realizing she was practically propped up against Jaune who was just staring at her with his arm around her waist. Neo pulled away and looked and the ground suddenly interested in counting the stains of the cinema's carpets to which Jaune had responded in kind.

"Ready for dinner!" Jaune said awkwardly, trying to move the date along. Neo fervently nodded as they made their way to the car.

They made it to their restaurant which was a local place that was family run. And was packed with people who were celebrating and enjoying themselves with family and friends in the bright and vibrant place. Both were lead to their tables as Jaune held Neo's hand instinctively to make sure she wasn't lost amongst the other people as they weaved between different people for their booth in the back. As they became seated both had grins on their faces as they looked at the menu. Eventually, orders and drinks were taken which left them nothing but time with each other.

"So what do you do for fun?" Jaune looked intrigued as he watched her type on her phone, only to see her pause with an incredulous look on her face to see her go back to typing.

I'm a shitposting weeb who plays video games with friends to bully random people for my enjoyment Neo typed and looked at her phone. She quickly deleted it and produced a message.

 _I listen to music and play multiplayer games with friends!_ Neo gave a nod and smile.

"Same here! I mainly play League since it's free and the community isn't TOO bad." Jaune grinned as he seemed to pique her interest as she typed quickly.

 _Yeah, I play it all the time! Too bad reporting doesn't work too well unless you have like 3 people report them._ Neo would know since she was often the subject of reports.

"Tell me about it! I was playing last night, and these four players just kept grouping up to time stun me with Bard and take my kills. And how do you think it would look if one guy reported all the other players in his match? It would look like the one guy was the problem and not the four jerks." Jaune's brows were furrowed, his neck and jawline taught with discomfort as he told her how it essentially killed his mood to play League the rest of the night. Neo quickly realized that he was the one guy she and her group had bullied.

'Of all the fucking people…' Neo was frustrated. The entire point to troll people was to mess with people you never had to deal with. And now her date is complaining about how she ruined his night.

"You alright Neo?" Jaune looked over at her. She had been sitting there for a few minutes without really reacting much when he tried to change the subject over to breakfast cereals.

 _I'm sure that they aren't baaaad people per say. I know if you talked with em IRL they would probably listen to you. Maybe they'd feel bad._

Jaune's face softened as he considered her words. "Oh, I don't think they are bad people. Maybe just disgruntled. I don't know who they are, and I don't even remember their names to be honest. But I'm thinking maybe we can play sometime?" After some time, Jaune felt a vibration in his pocket to which Neo nodded to his pocket. Jaune looked at his phone and realized Neo sent him her account name.

They spent the rest of their evening conversing and talking about almost anything. They learned the liked similar musicians, loathed most books that weren't comics, and were excited when they heard about some of their favorite actors are going to be in a film together as a band of ragtag space adventurers. Eventually, Jaune looked at his watch and realized it was 10:40. The look of Shock on his face sacred Neo. She thought he just got a message that a family member of his died or something when he looked up and said "We gotta go or your dad's gonna kill me!"

Jaune and Neo walked out of the restaurant and it was cold as they walked to the car. Jaune saw her shiver and placed his jacket over Neo to which she smiled as she leaned against him for his gentlemanly action. As much as Jaune wanted this moment to last, he knew time was of the essence. He wasn't going to ruin it though and instead of moving her off, he just picked the pace up a little to which Neo kept up with.

Eventually, Jaune walked her up to her doorstep. "I had a great time!" Jaune said with a big grin on his face. Neo nodded and smiled. She motioned for him to lean down as if she was going to tell him a secret. As he did so meeting eye level with her again she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Immediately the two of them blushed and looked at each other. After a few moments, Jaune started to chuckle a bit as a smile grew on her face.

"Have a good night, Neo!" Jaune stood there looking at her with a soft grin on his face. Neo walked towards her house and as she passed the threshold turned around and gave him a wink and blew a kiss his direction. As the door closed she immediately leaned against it as if it were a barricade, breathless and with her heart pounding. After she calmed down Neo heard snoring and walked into the living room. Her dad was watching TV waiting for her to come back but instead fell asleep watching old crime flicks. She smiled and pulled a blanket over him and left the TV on knowing he would appreciate the background noise when he woke. She made her way upstairs to her room and fell on the bed. Neo realized something and immediately grinned as she had texted Jaune.

As Jaune made his way home and plopped down on his bed. "I can't afford another daaaate!" Jaune groaned. A buzzing noise went off in his pocket to which he checked and looked elated when saw it was Neo

 _I'm keeping the jacket_


	4. I Don't Like Mondays

**We broke over 4,000 views y'all! I'm glad you're liking the piece and I hope to keep giving you guys a story y'all will like!**

Jaune woke up to the usual pandemonium of his family who were all getting ready for their Monday morning. Jaune's father was reading the paper on his tablet while half of his sisters were getting ready for work, the other three were getting ready for middle school. Jaune walked out in his usual Pumpkin Pete's hoodie and washed out blue jeans smiling at his family as he made himself some toast. His mother, a woman of shorter stature standing around 5'3" with curly blonde hair and warm blue eyes was somehow chastising, catering, and wrangling her little girls without breaking a sweat.

"Now Jaune remember that we need you to grab groceries after work. Take the green card from my purse so you can pay for them." Jaune nodded and walked over to her purse. Once he found the card he needed she was already walking the three girls to the door. He gave his mom her purse and with a quick hug to his sisters and mom they went off to school. Jaune sat across from his dad who sat pensively as he squinted trying to zoom in on his paper. Jaune ate his toast enjoying the silence that is left in the household.

"I never did ask, how did your date with the girl go?" His dad's face was neutral and never left the contents of the tablet unobserved.

"It was great! We went to the movies and then had dinner. We talked a lot more than I expected so that's a plus." His father nodded and then looked up slightly confused. "You didn't think it was going to go well?"

"Oh no, it's not that! She's just a shy girl is all. But she opened up and when we talked. It honestly felt like time flew by. When I checked the time and realized how late it was the restaurant was almost empty."

Jaune's father smiled and nodded. "That is good! I hope things go well for you two."

The two talked a bit further about what they were going to do later today. Jaune had his timed mile run in PE today after a test in Algebra and his father had some interviews for new officers for the Police Department. With warm goodbyes, Jaune eventually left to go to school. He knew his friends were more than anxious knowing how their best friend's first date went.

Neo was abuzz as she happily readied herself for the day. During sunday she was giving out as many details about the date as possible to her three friends.

Mercury With A Mouth: They totally fucked.

Ice Cream Girl: No! We just held hands…

Em: That's code for frickin'. They were busy under the sheets!

FireBitch: Just because she refers to her crush as 'anon' doesn't mean she bent over and took it.

Neo blushed as she shook away those thoughts walking off the bus trying not to blush. Her friends meant well, but they showed their affection by teasing. She walked up to the table where Pyrrha was sitting alone. With a gentle tap on Pyrrha's shoulder she had turned around with an almost subdued look of shock on her face.

"Oh Neo! It's good to see you. I'm sorry, but Jaune isn't here yet." She smiled awkwardly

 _I was hoping to sit with you till he came._ Neo stood there as she studied the Crimson haired girl's facial expressions. People tend to forget that they react as they read something which let her anticipate their responses. Pyrrha looked pensive and uncertain but looked at her and gave a smile and nod. "Sure, of course!"

Neo felt relaxed. 'At least she's being polite' she thought to herself. A few minutes passed by and there was an uncomfortable silence between the two. Neo types on her phone and rapidly deleted messages trying to figure what to say.

"Sooooooo" Pyrrha said looking down slightly. "Did the date go well?"

 _Yes! We had a lovely night out. The movie was great and the dinner was just unforgettable!_ Neo looked excited as she type this out. As it was being read a look of realization hit her when Pyrrha read it. She realized the woman looked hurt and then a pang of jealousy went across her face only briefly and otherwise would have been unnoticeable. 'Pyrrha wants Jaune! What the-' mid thought she immediately felt a tap on her shoulder as she saw Jaune with Ren and Nora in tow.

"I'm sorry guys!" Pyrrha said with a look of confusion. "I guess I forgot I had to meet with a teacher! See you in PE, Jaune!" And without hesitation she walked away.

The other three watched her walk away and awkwardly as Neo sat there stunned at what transpired. The four talked for a while asking any and every question they could with Jaune taking the brunt. Ren did everything in his power to keep Nora from actively crawling over the bench and table to drag out every answer from Neo she could. Eventually the bell rang and they had all gotten up from the table. Ren and Nora went one direction while Jaune and Neo hung around awkwardly standing there next to each other.

"W-would you like me to walk you to class?" Jaune asked shyly. Immediately Neo nodded and the two held hands as he walked her to class.

Jaune was sweating up a storm as he ran laps around the track. The cloudless sky gave way to that ever merciless sun which was relentlessly beating down on him, his lungs heaving, calves aching, his back burning. Running, why did it have to be running? Cardio was fine and he could climb a rope like nobody's business. Running was Jaune's weakness and he knew that if he didn't make the 7 minute mile he was toast. While running he would usually be accompanied by Pyrrha for a little bit before she would overlap him and then talk to him again. However Pyrrha was nowhere to be seen much to Jaune's chagrin.

Pyrrha moved into town around 6 years ago. She was some child prodigy who was training for the Olympics while her parents backed her. Jaune didn't know nor care much as for all he knew, Pyrrha was just some quirky redhead who would want to hang out with him. Jaune winced slightly as he ran not only from the sudden cramp in his ribs, but also remembering the day everyone forgot about Pyrrha Nikos. She was doing a preliminary event to try for the Olympics. While she was sprinting, she cried out and tumbled to the ground. This was no biggie since she had a large enough of a lead that if she had gotten up she could make up the time. She didn't get back up however, she just lay there holding her leg. Paramedics went down to her and she was placed on a stretcher and sent off. It was found out Pyrrha was pushing herself to hard and was running on a pulled ACL. When she took her tumble it had completely torn and needed surgery. After a month of waiting a surgery was scheduled and Pyrrha's friends and family alike had waited to hear the results. When the doctor had come to talk to them they were at first ecstatic knowing the surgery was a success. Following up with that smiles had turned into somber expressions when the doctor noted that the level of pressure she was putting on herself if replicated would be damaged beyond a reasonable repair. Pyrrha's athletic career could still be something achievable, but she was never the same. For a while it was as if she were a rubber band, once spry and able to come back from anything was now stretched out and if put under pressure would snap. Jaune, Nora, and Ren did all they could to cheer her up. Jaune would go on jogs with her, Nora would lift weights with her, and Ren would offer up times to talk and decompress while drinking tea with each other. Eventually Pyrrha had gotten out of her state of despair, no longer feeling useless, but nowhere near close to the almost combative and competitive state she was in previous to her injury.

"Arc!" a teacher had shouted. It was Ms. Goodwitch the P.E. teacher. She was stern and a focussed personality, anyone under her gaze had a visible difference, as if they were being taken apart and rebuilt at her very words before being sent off for the next student to be scrutinized.

"Come here!" she demanded not yelling at him, but loud enough to be heard over the chatter of other students. Not to make her wait, Jaune had cut across the center and made his way directly to Goodwitch with an incredulous look upon her. "You're currently at 8:36 and you've only started your third lap. May I recommend you work on your pacing since your feet aren't moving in beat whatsoever. Your knees are wobbling and your footing is clumsy." With a further inspection she looks him up and down at this somewhat scrawny figure. "I also recommend using that rythm to find your breath. Music is allowed if you listen to it during your runs. I recommend Mars, The Bringer of War." Jaune stood there panting almost keeled over taking in what hse is saying. 'Music while running? Why hadn't I thought of that?' Jaune nodded and taking a big breath in was able to steady his heart. "Can I go grab my earbuds and phone then" Glynda gave him a nod and off he ran to get them from the locker room.

Jaune had walked in and heard the radio playing from the teacher's office. He walked past the room but no teacher was present. Jaune walked past and was putting the combination into his locker as he heard some quiet talking amongst some others. He didn't pay any mind until he heard who was speaking.

"What do ya mean she chickened out!?" A rancorous Cardin Winchester said a few aisles down. "She just said she wasn't interested. Had a change of heart over it and wanted to scrap the idea." It was one of Cardin's friends Sky Lark who had always had Cardin' back and Cardin with him. Jaune had opened his locker and grabbed his phone and earbuds but couldn't help but overheard what was being said. "Well I guess we are gonna teach Jauney boy a lesson!" Jaune had panicked and tried closing the locker door to run out only to accidentally slam his thumb "OOUCH" Jaune had unintentionally interjected as he nursed his swelling thumb. "What the-" Cardin had said, closely afterwards footsteps were heard as Jaune quickly stowed his phone in his shorts with his earbuds and dashed away back to the track. He went to restart his run as a section of violins played gently only to do a minor crescendo with horns now coming in. It wasn't a peppy beat, but had a rhythm that was solid and hard to miss. Jaune kept a decent pace not only because he needed to make sure the mile was going to be easily passed, but also trying to push the thoughts out of his head for was recently occured. What was Cardin talking about? What did Jaune do? And who at least for awhile wanted to hurt him?

Neo was wandering around the campus as other student were sitting with other who were jeering with friends while eating lunches that were either homepacked or bought from the cafeteria. Neo would normally eat in her next class's room, but today she wanted to eat with Jaune who was so far the only guy to really make her feel comfortable in public. She searched around and after a few minutes began to feel overwhelmed. He didn't see Jaune anywhere nor any of his friends. Thinking about Jaune's friends Neo had thought back to before class where she and Pyrrha were talking and hoped that this problem could be resolved or at the very least Jaune wouldn't be aware of what was going on so Jaune would be kept away from all the drama it would generate.

"Hey Neo! I was looking for ya!" A jovial voice broke her out of the thoughts that were befuddling her only to look up and see Jaune with his goofy grin matched by his warm and honest expression.

 _Oh hey Jaune! I was looking for ya. I didn't know where you sat sooooooo_. Jaune nodded and offered her his hand to which hse happily had taken. The two sat down with Ren and Nora. Pyrrha wasn't anywhere near much to the relief of Neo. At least she didn't have to deal with her while trying to at least right herself with this whole 'interacting with others' thing. Lunch went by without a hitch. Neo smiled and was polite. There were several times she wanted to tell people to shut the fuck up, but she knew it wouldn't gel to well with this group so she would occasionally just text Jaune something quippy or a random meme from the thousands of photos on her phone. But nonetheless she had done what she wanted and hoped to make a good impression on Jaune's two friends. Ren and Nora went to their classes while Jaune had walked Neo to class. _Aren't you going to class as well?_ Neo was curious as the two were spending every minute together before the impending ringing of a bell would occur. Jaune smiled and shook his head "no, on Mondays and Tuesdays my classes end and I can go home for lunch if I really wanted, but I stick around here to be with my friends and well… I really like spending time with you." Jaune blushed as he held her hand. Neo felt her cheeks warm up 'GOD I want to kiss him!'

 **BRRRRRRRRRNG**

The final bell for classes had rung. Jaune bent down quickly to give her a quick peck on the forehead. "Go ahead to your class, I don't want you to be late." Neo nodded and waved goodbye before hse entered her class to which she heard some collective "ooooooohs" to which it had hit her the two of them were together right outside her class and those who were really interested watched. Red creeped up her face before she heard a very swift clearing of a man's throat. "May I recommend you be in your seat before the second bell rings, Ms. Politan?" The man was tall, lean and had windspet green hair. Only have his button down shirt was tucked in and his tie barely hung on him as he sipped from his thermus. Neo nodded and went to her seat to which she heard some giggles and whispers to which she buried her face in her textbook.

Jaune was walking to his car and pulled out his keys to unlock his car. Grumbling as he dropped them on the gravel he stood back up to only see a reflection in his car window. Before he could turn around he felt someone grab him by the hair on the back of his head and slammed his face into car where the door and roof meet. Immediately Jaune crumpled and felt several feet kicking him for several minutes only to feel something warm and wet be spat into his face.

"Think before you act, Jauney boy!" Cardin and his friends snickered and laughed as they walked off to their truck and sped by leaving Jaune in a dust cloud.


	5. Living La Vida Angsty

The three boys in the car were yipping, hooting, and hollering down the road, with loud and aggressive rock music blaring and drowning out any of the finer points the duo in the back were exclaiming such as how "the blonde will have one helluva time for the week to come" or "If it were always that easy, they could be paid for it!" Cardin didn't pay too much attention to what was going on in the back. He was angry, and as usual, Jaune was in the way.

Cardin didn't excel too well in forms of schooling, but with the amazing physical prowess and naturally large build, he went into football. It did not satisfy him. There was something odd about working as a unit. The quarterback got all the glory because he hadn't gotten pitcher's elbow, but nobody noticed the people like him on the front line who demolished the poor sap on the other side. If he wanted to put in the work and not be appreciated, he would have been in some dumb club the school offers. So he decided to go into wrestling instead.

The contact sport was much more personal. One man versus another and it allowed him to use his skills to the fullest without worrying about other people on his team. He excelled and personally brought his school to national championships which he toted for the entirety of the junior year. It felt good to get the respect he deserved. A recognition of sorts that was hard fought. Getting this kind of recognition was cathartic and hey if it got him a few dates on the side why not? But one of the plethoras of things that irritated him was Jaune. He seemed to be the very thing he hated. A foil to him of sorts. Jaune was lackadaisical, lucky, and a wimp. Cardin was serious, earned what he got, and as previously mentioned a juggernaut. So why did a welp who had one of the most beautiful women practically trying to drape herself as arm candy on him ditch her for some random chick who didn't even speak a word to him before asking her out on a date, let alone somehow not screwing it up?

He talked to Pyrrha in one of their classes. Cardin had a crush on Pyrrha even after the fall but knew she only wanted Jaune. She seemed down and quite out of character at 1st period U.S History. With a small inquiry, she dumped out all her emotional baggage after class. He was surprised but listened to every utterance, pause, and stutter between breaths. That's when he knew Jauney boy needed to know what he did. It didn't matter that she tried to talk him out of whatever he had planned, he knew that the puny brat shouldn't break a woman of her caliber's heart.

Cardin's two friends were rowdy sure but they certainly wouldn't do anything malicious. Just Desserts though were another thing, however. They did right by him and he did right for them as well. When the hooting and hollering died down he looked at the time.

"Shit!" Cardin exclaimed. "Sorry, guys I gotta drop you off. I'm late for work. Lemme drop you off at the diner." Macy's otherwise called _The Diner_ was a place the three would burn allowance and job money alike on burgers, steaks, and soft drinks. Granted Cardin made sure to save some money. He wasn't stupid after all, he knew that school isn't for him but the workforce is and he intends to enjoy every minute in high school he has left. So why would he ruin his finances for his future self? After dropping off his friends, Cardin drove off, kicking up a few rocks to his amusement leaving his friends in the dust.

Cardin Drove up to his driveway. It was 30 minutes out of town and was seldom traveled to for the business ran in the back. His kitted up truck purred and subsequently died down with the twist and removal of a key. As Cardin was stepping down from the truck he heard the ever so familiar hums, whirs, grinding and squealing of metal that went on behind his house. It was familiar and something he heard often. Not many kids had a scrapyard in the back of their house.

"BOY! GET OVER 'ER" The familiar gruff voice said from the back of the house. Cardin knew he was late and tried to get in to change his clothes before starting work but seeing that his father saw Cardin coming to the house, he went around instead to help out his old man.

"Yeah, dad?" Cardin said somewhat defensively, prepared to get yelled at.

"What took ya so long? We got tuh brang the scrap tuh the crusher and finish up by nightfall or I can't haul it up to the lots t'morrow mornin." Cardin's father a simple blue collar man, who often reveled in his little slice of heaven. The business was Cardin's grandfather's who introduced his dad to the job at 12 and by 18 ran the entire operation while his grandpa got an early retirement out of it.

"Sorry. I had to talk to Coach Port about graduation and how they will be giving out honors for our team." Cardin wasn't lying about the talk, but it happened earlier that day during P.E. rather than after class.

"Alright. Well, I got some of it loaded up, but we're burning daylight boy so get on the Forklift!" Cardin's father was a stoic man who showed appreciation when the job was finished. If his son were to get an A in the class, he wouldn't care unless he saw the A on the report card when he came home to sign it. So it wasn't surprising to have him brush it off as some formality.

The sun was just starting to set Cardin's Father called it in. They got tomorrow's order done early and set up work for tomorrow night's job to get the scrap crushed and loaded for another buyer. As the two entered, Cardin's father walked passed the landline and hit the message button to which a beep emanated followed by a myriad of messages.

"Well boy, I had supper cook all day. You get the plates and I'll set up the food." Cardin' father walked passed the large dining room table with 3 chairs set up there all accompanied by silverware, napkins, and drinking glasses. Both their plates were hefted with food as they passed them around to put on the steaming hot meals from the crockpot. It was the same meal as yesterday and the day before. Pulled pork with whole banana peppers and jalapenos with a side of mashed potatoes. Cardin's father proudly pronounced it as 'family recipe handed down from Winchester to Winchester'.

As the two set down for prayer, the last message came on the answering machine. "Hello! This is Mordecai's Mortuary. We're sorry for your loss, but you still have not confirmed payment and we need you to either di-" Cardin's father had gotten up and yanked the answering machine out of its plug. After a brief moment, he reattached it and sat down resuming preparations for dinner. With a slight mist in his eyes, he and Cardin grasp hands and say a prayer before eating. As they began to eat a picture frame loomed between the two on the wall With Cardin, his father, and Mrs. Winchester.

Jaune woke up on the ground with a throbbing sensation pounding through his skull. He got up and checked himself. No blood so that's a good sign. Also had his wallet thank god so it wasn't a robbery. But who would have done that to him? Jaune got into his car and checked the time. "Ugh. At least I wasn't out for long. And like it or not I still have work."

Jaune work at the local chain coffee shop Schnee Bucks to which he took orders and made the drinks. He wasn't bad at it, but he wasn't by any means remarkable. He made up for the drinks with a winning personality and a goofy smile, however today it seems that was eclipsed by the swollen eye. After work, he had gotten to the grocery store. It was awkward, to say the least. Looks of confusion, disdain, and worry mixed the crowds, but he got the groceries. The next question was how was he going to talk to his parents about this? He didn't exactly remember who did this or why. And with his dad being an investigator… Jaune shuddered at the interrogation he would receive at home.

Jaune carried about five different brown paper bags in his hands that he could barely see around. As he stepped in the bustling of nine different people in what would be considered a large home, made it a game of Frogger.

"Jaune you're back!" a sister exclaimed. and another immediately followed up with "Where's your giiiiiiirlfriiieend?" amidst what sounded like an endless sea of gossip, talking, and giggling.

"Honey, could you put the bags over there I need to get dinner done soon!" his mother told him.

"Uh, sure lemme do that!" He swiftly put the groceries down. In doing so he knew he was going to lose his hiding spot for his black eye but what choice did he have? As soon as he put it down he quickly turned away and hope to move around his family fast enough to avoid being spotted.

"Stop right there, Mr."

Aw, crap. He knew he had been had.

"Turn around." His mother said with a knowing tell. Jaune did so and she gasped.

"I know you don't get into fights by choice. Who did this?" She examined his eye with deep concern.

Even with the maternal care that his mother exuberated for each and every child, he squirmed under this kind of attention.

"It's nothing. I'm gonna go put some cold water on it." As he started to back away and turn his mother replied matter of factly "You know your father is going to grill you on this." That froze him in his tracks. He gave a sigh and slouched. She had him there. Jaune turned around and looked at her with a defeated look. "I got my head slammed against the door of my Volvo. I didn't bleed and I can see fine out of the eye." His left eye is swollen and slightly closed but still moved in sync with its otherwise pristine doppelganger.

"Alright." She said uneasily. "But don't think he won't ask you a bunch of questions still." With that, he nodded and went to his bathroom and ran cold water over it.

The grilling went on for about 15 minutes but whether intentional or not, his father made it feel like an hour. Jaune was drained and tired. He was asked the same questions several times in different ways to see if he'd spark any ideas. His father wasn't treating him like a suspect like this line of questioning would conventionally be used upon, he was trying to see who hurt his boy and with that, he was as thorough as he could be. After the 15 minutes, his father put away the notepad and took a moment of silence staring at his son.

"You know I love you. And you know that I wanna protect you just like your mom, and just like your sisters, and just like your mother. Someone hurt you and did so in a vindictive manner. If you can think of who would have done this, please let me know."

Thoughts flashed in Jaune's head. Being in the locker room earlier today made him think back to Cardin and his two goons talking about him. He shuddered and shook away the thought.

"Yeah, dad. I will."

The pink light whirred on her PC. Neo yawned and stretched as she threw off her backpack and closed the door to her room. Her day at school was weird, to say the least. Pyrrha had tried to hide her feelings and ran away, and her friends weren't messaging her on group chat much today. Doctor's appointments and several groundings made sure they were either getting holes drilled in their face or going Amish for a while. She logged onto LoL with a new update and let it download. But when she logged in, she noticed a single golden symbol with a '1' for her notifications

New Friend Request: **ArcKing Fury**

Neo recognized the cheesy name. Jaune had mentioned he would send her a friend invite. After accepting she immediately got a new message from him. Neo smiled. This was going to be a fun night.


	6. Dad is Not Home

**Let's get this bread, gamers**

The week had been an odd one for Jaune. Given his recent head injury a lot of odd stares along with concerned outreach from several teachers, it was unusual to have all this attention centered around what he considered an average guy. Pyrrha also had been missing for a while from the group with Jaune only managing to see her briefly and always leaving the room or class he was in. Even Ren and Nora seem to be a bit off with their group lacking a long time friend in the mix.

The only thing that seems to keep any sense of normalcy in this chaotic tide of confusion is Neo. Things have gone well for the duo whether they would play video games, stay on Discord calls and even occasionally going out for treats.

Work has been weird since he tends for people's coffee, yet also trying to hold down conversations with the regulars on their reading material. Schnee Bucks (ironically named after the heiress who has a restraining order on him) was a moderately sized building with a small pavilion outside for customers to sit at also housed comic shelves a fair distance away from where the coffee is served. Recently much to Jaune's delight they added several old stand arcades to which they added a hand-written sign saying "free to paying customers". As much as Jaune loved his job, the place didn't really give him much room to grow, short of becoming manager or owner. He knew he would have to eventually, but Jaune dreaded going into new job interviews again.

"Nice shiner ya got there kid." Said a silver fox of a man. He had deep dark gray hair that was beginning to silver, complementing his tall and wiry stature with is gray button up shirt and black slacks, he often carries his own personable coffee cup.

"Hey Crow" Jaune responded. "Yeah a few days ago I had an incident."

"Oh yeah?" Crow responded with his raspy voice. He hunched over, leaning against the counter used to serve customers their coffee. "And what pray tell was this 'incidents' name?"

A smirk spread across his lackadaisical form, his figure ever so relaxed. The perfect counter to Jaune's ever so stiff and anxious form.

Jaune looked away trying to find anything particularly interesting about the new 'X-Ray and Vav' comic cover as he spoke. "Well I honestly don't know."

Crow chuckled, a grin growing across his face. "Kid ya gotta learn to check your six! Honestly I'm glad you got outta that scrape with only a welt to look after, but you need to be aware of your surroundings." Although his tone had exuberated nothing but joy and mirth, Jaune understood his silver fox of a friend was right.

'Of course of all people it's me who is so oblivious, that someone can come up behind me and do that' Jaune chided himself briefly before taking after his companion and smiling with a chuckle trailing at the end. "Tell you what. You coffee looks a little low, let me make you a new one."

Jaune grabbed the cup nonchalantly and filled it up. A simple black coffee with a splash of salt and sugar. "Geez do I really come here that often?" Crow commented. "Didn't even tell you my order." Jaune slid the cup over with the lid off. Crow noticed the gesture and pulled out a small flask, filling the cup the remaining amount before putting the lid on it. "Thanks kid but it looks like my break is about over. And uh, my niece has been looking for a new board game. Something that uses lots of miniatures. Keep an eye for me?" Jaune smiled back at Crow and nodded. "Yeah I'll take a look around for you! Drive safe." Jaune said with a tinge of worry in his voice. Crow just snorted and retorted with a wry grin. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't be this old now would I?"

Crow left on that note and Jaune has finished his shift and checked his phone.

 **NEO:** _Hey! I'm getting some new parts for my rig in the mail today! My dad is gone on a business trip for the weekend. Wanna come over? We can do a LAN party for two!_

Jaune smiled because he could not wait.

Neo was shitting herself. Not literally though. That's just gross. She panicked after sending that message to Jaune she looked around her room if she could even call it that. The lighting was sparse except for the front light emanating from her bathroom that was sleeping through the edges around her door, accompanied by the pink light shooting off from her computer under her desk and the monitor betraying her various candy wrappers strewn across her desk mixed with notebooks with homework she promised she would turn in a few months ago.

It took a solid hour and a half to throw all the clothes she never wore into the washer and dryer before tackling her bed and all the junk she kept under it. By the time she was about to get a break, she received a text with a familiar jingle.

 _Doo duh-duh-duh doo!_ The horns blared. It was Jaune! Neo jumped onto her bed, bouncing softly and she grabbed her phone as she read his response. She internally squealed with excitement. Despite her excitement she took a breath in and exhaled steeling herself and did what she claims (although her friends online disagree to this) is her strength and play it cool.

 _Don't keep me waiting ;)_

Jaune hurried home and took a shower not wanting to miss out on spending time with Neo. After hurrying out of the shower he dressed up and just as he was about to exit the house he heard "and where do you think you're going?" His mother inquired. Jaune mentally scolded himself. In his excitement he forgot to mention he would not be home for dinner.

"Oh uhhh funny story. I'm going to Neo's to help her with setting up her new computer." And with that all ambient noise in the house in the house abruptly stopped. "Oh boy" Jaune squeaked out before being bombarded with questions by his sisters as they flooded they foyer of the house.

Neo flipped between times of pensiveness as she wondered what she did wrong and bouts of anxiety as a few hours passed with no texts from Jaune. 'Was I too forward? Did he… DID I SCARE HIM AWAY WITH THE EMOJI!?' Neo panicked. She had ordered food to be delivered and and had everything set up. They set up the computer parts and get him hooked up and on the WiFi and then 'oopse, I bought all this pizza and chicken wings, I guess you will have to stay for dinner' plan would come to play. After an hour and a half into waiting with more unanswered texts than she would like to admit to, she sat at the boomerang esque table and ate half the pizza. As she was drinking her fifth Vanilla Coke she got a call.

"Hello? Neo? I'm sorry I'm running late! My family overheard me leaving and well… they… look it's not important. How are you?" Jaune said hurriedly. In the background she could hear a car door unlocking with the sound of a familiar engine revving to life.

"Hello?" Jaune responded with. Neo sat there grateful he was on his way, but uncertain why he called. "Oh yeah… sorry. Listen I'll be over soon okay? I have my PC in the back of my car so we can play and everything! I'll see you there." There was a brief pause and then he hung up. Neo texted him but stopped realizing that he was driving and couldn't do both at the same time. A few minutes later she received a knock on the door.

Jaune swung back and forth from the tips of his toes to the balls of his feet standing there awkwardly as he waited. He wished he didn't have so many sisters who wanted to hear every little bit of gossip. He honestly thought that at this point they would learn there would not be any gossip. He was simply helping his girlfriend with her computer and then play games with her that night. The door swung open and appeared Neo with a large smile on her face. She stepped back and gestured for Jaune to enter.

As he stepped in he turned around "Sorry again for bei-" his sentence cut short with a forced "oof" as his girlfriend who stood only at a diminutive 4'9" launched herself into him giving him a tightly gripped hug. He smiled and hugged back, gently rubbing her back. Pulling back she excitedly pulled him to her room and entered with her goofy boyfriend in tow. Much to Jaune's surprise the place was cluttered with various clothes strewn about but noticed almost a pathway that went from the door, to the bed, to the bathroom and finally to a large swath of clean carpet to an immaculate desk which housed Neo's computer.

"Uhhh" Jaune stammered. "You sure know how to keep a room clean."

 **Ding**

Jaune pulled out his phone to read a message from Neo saying _Thank you! I did some cleaning before you came over!_

Jaune chuckled nervously for a moment wondering what this place looked like before but decided it best to change subjects.

"So what are we working on?" He strode over to her desk noticing several small packages unopened and all addressed to Neo.

 _New fan and GPU. Shouldn't be too hard_

Jaune nodded and got to work with Neo. Despite the fact the two have been dating for a little while, the accidental touching and brushing past each other led to various stages of blushing faces. Both worked with the parts delicately and after about an hour or so the PC whirred to life with the pink light illuminating the room. As Jaune and Neo were about to get up they both hit their head on the bottom of the desk simultaneously. As they rubbed the back of their heads they realized how close their faces were. Time seemed to freeze as they looked into each other's eyes. Neo staring in sharp, icy blue eyes as Jaune looked into her two different colored eyes. One brown and one pink. Both of them recoiled in panic only to hit their heads once again under the desk before gingerly extracting themselves from the tight quarters they shared. Neo turned away from his gaze abruptly. Jaune felt compelled to reach out to her to see if she was okay. As he was about to rest his hand on her shoulder, his phone dinged once again.

 _I have pizza and wings in the kitchen! We should probably eat before playing._

Neo has taken a deep breath and then hurried out of her own room to the kitchen, Jaune left in the minor confusion.

As per what would seem the norm between the two, Jaune ate delicately and sparsely, maintaining a sense of table etiquette and trying to avoid himself from spoiling his appetite by eating too fast. Neo was eating not unlike the Tasmanian Devil from looney toons masticating very loudly making mouth noises and gorging herself on the remaining pizza Jaune had not already grabbed and halfway through the wings before she realized she was in company and out of embarrassment stopped eating all together. Jaune chuckled and finished eating. He stood up and looked to Neo "I'm gonna grab my rig. Can you help me out?"

Neo nodded excitedly as the duo walked to Jaune's Volvo. It ended up being Jaune would carry the actual PC in while Neo carried the monitor and wore his backpack that stored his mouse, keyboard and various wires. Jaune went in first as to prevent him from bumping into too many things with Neo in tow. As he set down the rig next to the desk Neo had already put down the monitor and backpack next to the door, slightly winded. As Jaune took a step back to catch his breath he bumped into Neo and abruptly lost his balance, catching her as the two fell together and spinning so she would land on him rather than the floor.

Rather than a jarring thud like he expected, Jaune was met with a pleasant 'whump' noise as the two landed on her bed. Jaune opened his eyes to see a slightly shocked Neo inches from his face, the light from her PC gently cascading her in a pink halo That illuminated her as the only source of light in the room.

"Are you alright?" A confirmatory nod from Neo and a smile is all he got as a response.

'She looks so cute like this… just look at that smile'

'He's a doofus, but he literally swept me off my feet."

The two held each other in embrace their breathing getting heavier, yet matching rhythm. Jaune took the chance and closed his eyes and slowly leaned in for a kiss. He was scared he was going too far and was about to back out before he felt a warm, soft pair of lips met his.

Fireworks. Literal fireworks went off in Neo's head as they kissed. The initial contact was not enough and she yearned for more as she gently mewled into his mouth as if she were begging for more. Jaune's hands wrapped around her and his hands pressed against her back as he slowly rubbed it giving into her demands and kept kissing her.

Eventually the two separated with heaving chests breathless. Neo inadvertently had moved more into a position to straddle Jaune and she felt something perk up between her legs. It felt nice and inviting as she shuddered at the sensation it caused.

"Neo.." is all Jaune could get out raspingly before she started a second assault on him, kissing him much more intensely as she clung around him tighter trying to drink him in as much as she could. After the surprise faded away, Jaune reciprocated pulling her in even tighter, gently moving his hips against hers and a gentle moan emanated from Neo's mouth. She pressed against his mouth with her tongue and eventually Jaune let her breach as she rapidly began exploring every inch of his mouth that she could reach as Jaune kissed her passionately as his hands wandered to her back and felt the clip for her bra. Once again the two parted to catch breath, a look of uncertainty on Neo's face.

"I think this is as comfortable as I'm willing to go right now too." Jaune said. He knew he wanted more but that he did not want to press further not only for her sake, but because of his inner conflict. She was his girlfriend and she was beautiful and it felt right going further. But a decent portion of him warned against it, wanting to preserve some decency between the two since so many things were happening so fast. He did not want to risk ruining it.

Neo frowned momentarily in contemplation but then nodded. She was equal parts alive and excited and scared witless. Not once in her life did she ever think she would be in this position. She loved it and wanted to drink it in deeper, but something tugged at her internally. Something trying to make sense of everything going on. Trying to understand it before she gave herself up fully to him. Neo leaned back down against him and in loving embrace started kissing him against and occasionally going into bouts of grinding.

The two would not remember when they went to bed, but they were more than happy seeing the state they woke up together.


	7. Saturday, in the Park

**Thanks y'all for the love and support for this story. I hope to keep this going for y'all.**

Neo was walking down the street. It was a bright and sunny day in Burbank but lacked the high temperatures that would relentlessly assault all those who would be outside and instead emitted a gentle warmth almost like a blanket consuming one half of her body in the light while the heat gently wrapped itself around the rest of her. The plaza was abuzz with people selling their wares as the weekly local market reached its peak for the day.

"Y'know, if you keep being lost in thought like that, your ice cream will melt," Roman smirked. He was wearing a simple outfit consisting of a simple short sleeved shirt with alternating horizontal bars and black pants with some simple slip-on loafers.

Almost as if on queue Neo's ice cream began to dribble to which in her minor alarm she quickly took action cleaning the drips off of her ice cream cone only to hear further chuckling from her father.

Neo's brow furrowed and gave her best attempt at a pout "you try not getting lost in what's going on all around" she whined. "It's a beautiful day and the farmer's market has so many cool things!"

Roman just smiled apologetically and patted the air with his hands. "Okay okay kiddo I'm sorry. But hey it could be worse."

Neo frowned for a moment feeling tendrils of solemnity starting to grasp her "I really really like him, y'know. Even though it's been two weeks, I feel like something is missing when he's not there or when we aren't texting or-" Neo was interrupted as a firm hand rested on her shoulder "You're obsessed with him. I get it. It's never bad to have something that makes you happy. But you have to remember that you're about to be a high school graduate. Your life is going to change in so many ways, people who you are emotionally moored to are going to be swept by. Friends who you thought you would never stop seeing no longer there. Promises made with the greatest sincerity. Hollow." He had a neutral tone in his voice but his face betrayed a sense of pain wrapped in a bow of nostalgia.

Neo contemplates this. She knew that life would be different after high school. Every class she goes to at this point has the same conversation happening.

"What college are you going to?"

"Yeah, I'm going to Europe for the summer."

"I actually have an apprenticeship set up"

Meanwhile, all Neo has been wrapping her head around is when she is going to play video games with her friends next and Jaune.

"I'm not trying to rob you of your happiness today by talking about tomorrow," Roman said with an edge of concern in his otherwise placid tone. "I want your happiness to be long-lasting. And most importantly I don't want you to get hurt." Roman rubbed her shoulder and then continued walking as Neo kept pace.

"What am I going to do in the future?" Neo pondered. "And how long will Jaune be there for it?"

Thoughts flashed in her head. All of them not good.

"What do you mean you troll people online?" Jaune glared accusingly.

"You and your friends were the ones who ruined my night?!" He exclaimed in another instance.

"What are you even doing with your life?" Said a bitter Jaune. Disgust dripping from the last word so venomous that it could corrode steel.

Neo woke up shuddering. She felt like her body had just fallen out of her dream and back into the real world. As she took in several deep breaths her heartbeat slowed. Neo reached up to her cheek. It was damp. As she wiped away her tears she thought about the dream that turned nightmare. 'Would he accept me for who I entirely am?'

Neo wondered this for a few moments as Jaune's arm wrapped around her back. A gentle sigh escaping him and he smiled and tied to pull her closer atop his body. Neo then thought of how their night ended. Not only did her face warm up but so did the pit in her stomach.

"Good morning little lady" Jaune mumbled, his eyes not even open yet. As Jaune took in a deep sigh he released it saying "How did you sleep?"

Although Neo could have gone without the dream last night she felt more rested than she had in a very long time. Despite Jaune's lean figure, it was not muscular meaning there was still some cushion his body gave allowing her to sleep comfortably.

As Neo opened her mouth no noise came out. 'Right… I'm not dreaming anymore' she internally lamented.

Jaune opened one eye with concern looking up at her immediately followed the dawning if realization upon him. "Riiiiiight. Sorry" he smiled nervously and chuckled.

'Maybe things will last' Neo thought to herself.

After the two untangled from each other, they finished off the remaining food from their partying last night. Jaune checked his phone only for his eyes to become saucers in shock as he looked at his phone

 _23 missed calls_

It took some time but he finally convinces his parents that not only was he safe but he also slept on the couch and will be home for dinner. Neo giggles in silence hearing him promising to mow the lawn for the next month as an apology. Eventually, the two could return to their day together. The two played LoL for the good part of the morning into lunchtime to which the two agreed to go out.

The couple walked along the plaza as the weekly farmer's market was in full stride along with the intense heat. Neo tugged at her clothing nervously as she recalled in grand detail the dream she had and was snapped out of it as Jaune led her to an eatery. After that, the two drove back to her home and spent some time packing away Jaune's things. They kissed briefly and as Jaune picks up the carrier for his PC he received the all too familiar ding! His phone would pronounce to the world as a declaration that he indeed have a social life.

Hey… I've been thinking. Neo looked on nervously as Jaune read. His face had been wrapped in a complexion of confusion and lack of clarity. "Oookaaay?" His eyebrow arched suspiciously. "What's up?

Neo types and then deleted several messages feeling though as she was taking ages

What do you think about me?

No… too self-centered sounding

What are we as a couple?

Getting closer, but still a loaded question. Neo's mind whirred till she finally sent a message

Never mind, I forgot, hehe!

She feigned a giggle and a smile and she leaned up on her tippy toes to give him a kiss to which he responded to in kind. As he held her in an embrace and said gently in her ear "well if you remember what it was, I'm all ears." To which he pulled back and smiled as they parted ways and Jaune went home.

'There is no love!' She proclaimed to herself. The girl lay face down in her pillow as she cried. The room is small, simple, and elegantly spaced as not to constrict the girl's limited space in her bedroom, optimizing the area she had at her disposal.

Pyrrha has felt like this for the last two weeks since she entered his life. Pyrrha should have been happy, supportive even. Jaune has gone through so much, so why not she celebrate his happiness?

It's because of **HER** that I can't! It should be me who he looks at adoringly! Pyrrha screamed internally to the unblinking, unfeeling cosmos. All that responded was more despondent and discordant heaving of breath into a now well-abused pillow she used for emotional support.

Pyrrha decided except for Senior's week she could just skip school. She had good grades not to mention plenty of days she can use for absences so she could just walk in for her finals and coast on by.

 _Grrrrrmmmmbl_ is all that Pyrrha's stomach responded with. Begrudgingly she put on a plain, gray hoodie along with her black leggings and left her house to find the nearest convenience store or fast food place. After walking a block or so she had already regretted the hoodie in this weather but it was too late to turn back empty-handed. As she turned the corner she heard footsteps rapidly approaching her from behind. Before she could respond, Pyrrha was lifted into the air with such a clean jerk that it could be only one powerlifter she knew.

"OH MY GOD, YOUR NOT DEEEEEAAAAAD" Nora exclaimed all to high heaven.

"Please.. put me down.." Pyrrha wheezed. "You're making a scene!" A plethora of people had stopped to watch this event go down. After a dissatisfied whine, Nora reluctantly put her friend down.

"Where have you been?!" The bombastic bombshell of a woman practically shouted to Phyrra who was not further than ten inches away from Nora's face.

After wincing momentarily Phyrra put on a fake smile and her normal voice to try to weasel her way out of this truly random encounter. "It's nothing to worry about! I need to grab food so I gotta go, sorry!" As she was about to turn around and leave, Nora matched pace right alongside her companion. "Well, Lady Luck is on your side today because I'm buying!" Pyrrha grunted in defeat. She knew short of homicide, Nora would not leave her alone.

After twenty minutes of walking the two finally reached a place. It was small, cheap and had outdoor seating right next to the walkway.

As the two ladies placed their orders, an odd silence looked over the two. It was only a matter of how long Nora would start.

"Listen… we miss you Pyr. And I know it sucks, but C'mon! This isn't the end of the world!"

Pyrrha stiffened trying to maintain a pleasant smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" She forced out with her usual pleasant tone.

"This isn't the best way to deal with rejection, y'know! I mean.. if you can even call it that." Nora had a point. To be rejected you had to actually ask them out. Nora leaned back into her somewhat small chair and then immediately leaned forward again to begin a new sentence equally filled with expression hand gestures as if her exuberant tone did not reveal her giddy nature enough. "Hey! This isn't the end of the world or anything! Not like you can't hang out with him anymore!"

Pyrrha leaned further forward in her chair, trying to sink into the grated wire table. 'She really saw right through me. God, this sucks'.

She contemplated before speaking. "But I can't stand to see her around him," Pyrrha growled that last part. Her facade now fully swept away. This did not make Nora happy at all. "But she makes him so happy. Even with us all being friends as long as we have, we know for a fact that he was never this… well. Alive I guess is the term for it." Nora reached out a hand delicately to Pyrrha only for the girl to snap back at the attempt with Nora recoiling.

"Alriiiight. No touching. Got it."

Pyrrha sighed anxiously to leave the conversation. "Look, even though this hurts, I can't stand to throw you into it. So please Nora. Just stop it." Pyrrha slumped forward, catching her head under her hand trying her best to look like the epitome of gloom.

Nora was apprehensive for a few minutes at awkward silence passed. She finally breached the silence and tried to restart the talk. "Listen. Whenever I get down in the dumps, Ren always brought me back. And you know what he said?"

Silence lingered. Pyrrha feigned disinterest, waiting for Nora to continue.

Nora took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before trying to look Pyrrha in the eyes to no avail given the red head's diminutive posture.

"Whenever I think I hit rock bottom or that no matter what happens that I can't recover I think back to what he said. He would always come to me with a simple smile on his face and say 'hey, don't stress. It could be worse.'"

'What does that mean?' Pyrrha thought apprehensively. 'Oh don't worry, the love of my life will never accept my love for me but hey, it could be raining so I should be happy!'

Nora frowned. "Alright, I see you don't get it. Look at it this way." Pyrrha looked up, now curious what Nora was trying to do. At some point, Nora took a pen to a napkin and drew three stick figures. One as a pair, and one by itself.

"You're not with Jaune" Nora crosses out the stick figure couple. "But you are still yourself." She then circled the singular stick figure. "You have all the things to live in this world and then some. We have great weather, good schools, good friends, and good family." Pyrrha knew that for Nora and Ren, the last two were essentially the same thing. It wouldn't be uncommon for the two to stay with friends who Christmas or summer vacation given their situation.

"Life is so much more than what we don't have." Nora continued. "Sure you aren't dating Jaune." Pyrrha winced at that."But you have so much more than that!" Nora said nervously trying to not make her friend any more miserable. Nora took a deep breath and weighed what she would say next. She was not the usual person to give life coaching to friends. That was Ren's job. With that thought, Nora slowly exhales and smiles, trying to recapture the positive note to what she was trying to elaborate. "So count your blessings. It could be worse."

'Sounds just like what I thought she was going to say…' Pyrrha thought to herself. She nodded, faking that she understood and agreed with what was being said. "Alright, you win. But just… it's going to take some time to adjust so please be patient, alright?"

After a few more minutes of talking Pyrrha could not help but notice a mop of messy blonde hair walking through the pavilion on the opposite end with the little, multi-colored haired girl who was wrapped around his arm as the two walked.

A sudden flood of sadness and despair filled Pyrrha in an instant. Nora looked to where she was staring and jumped up grabbing Pyrrha's hand. "Let's go somewhere else."

The two ended up walking in the opposite direction of the couple and silence ensues. 'What should we grab?" Nora thought to herself. 'What do I get when I'm horribly Depressed? Well, normally that's Ren, but I don't think that is the right choice.' As she pondered this she saw a homely, worn sign saying Macy's.

"Aha!" Nora exclaimed. "We are getting milkshakes!" To which Nora pulled Pyrrha in and then bought two tins of milkshakes.

"What flavor do you want?" Nora beamed. Pyrrha stood there awkwardly. She hasn't eaten here before. Greasy food and dairy products were a no go for her because of her athletics. She perused the list until she found something that at least had fruit in it. "Uuuuuuuh. Can I get the, uh, Banana Sundae?" unsure of what monstrosity she just ordered. "Oooooooh that sounds yummy! I'll get one also!" With an affirmative nod, the waitress walked away to which Nora filled all the verbal empty space with random events that went on while Pyrrha was away. She quickly tuned Nora out until their tins were delivered. They were stacked high where the ice cream went passed the tin and was stacked with whipped cream on top increasing the height of the deserts topped with chopped nuts. Both ladies were given a small serving pot each filled with hot chocolate syrup. Nora's eyes were the size of saucers as she not only poured chocolate syrup on the milkshake, but then grabbed the container of syrup and poured it all over as well.

Pyrrha was gobsmacked that this was not only an item they sold regularly but also something that was only 3.99. The only thing that shocked Pyrrha more is that Nora was already halfway done. Slowly She took her first bite. Careful to get some whipped cream, some chocolate syrup, chopped nuts, and vanilla ice cream.

It. Was. _Heavenly_.

Pyrrha has never eaten something this delicious her entire life. Grilled salmon and asparagus? Now bland cardboard to her as far as she could care. Salads? She now understands why very few people eat them. Kale? Fuck Kale.

She ate voraciously now starting to match pace with Nora and then it hit her. Her head ached and her locked up. A small whine escaped her as Nora just finished her tin and watched this transpire. A Knowing smile crept up her face. "Ice cream headache eh?" She devolved into a series of giggles and shortly after Pyrrha's Ache worn away into mutual laughter.

"So… didn't expect you two to be here." Said a somewhat smarmy voice. Pyrrha looked up still some giggles leaving her as she saw Cardin standing there next to their table.

"Cardin…" Pyrrha said, mirth leaving her voice. "What do you want?"

"Easy, easy!" Cardin put his hands up lazily, holding a root beer in his hand. "I come in peace."

Nora watched intently, not knowing what was going on, but figured it was best she did not interrupt.

"Well, just please tell me what you want to say and leave." Pyrrha said in a neutral tone.

"I just wanna talk to you. Privately. No offense, Nora."

"None taken!" she responded not really understanding the tone of the conversation.

"I was thinking maybe you and I could meet up sometime later and talk. Some things we need to discuss."

Pyrrha just wanted to get out of the conversation as soon as possible. But she needed to make her stance known.

"I'd really rather not. I'm sorry."

Cardin frowned. He didn't really expect to be rejected given what was needed to be talked about. "Alright. I won't push it. Sorry for bothering you two." We went to the other side of the diner and returned to his booth with his friends.

"Hey, Waitress!" Nora Shouted. "I'm ready for the tab!"

The sun was starting to set as Pyrrha went into her house. Still empty and cleaned. The way her parents always ensured it was. She went to her room to which dinner was brought up to her.

"Salmon with asparagus, ma'am." Said the maid. Pyrrha forgot her name a while ago. They rotated out every year anyhow so it did not matter much to her.

"Thank you," Pyrrha replied and waited for the lady to leave. After her door was closed she tried the food. She wanted another milkshake.


End file.
